Friday, September 24, 2010

Bay Area Husker ENews 9/24/10

Hey Bay Area Husker Fans!

A couple of huge question marks about our offense and defense was answered during last week's game against the Huskies. THe Huskers proved they could score well (and often) against a stronger team on the road, and fluster a Heisman touted quarterback so bad he ended up with his worst game in his college career. Although this week's game against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits shouldn't be much of a test for the Huskers, the thing to watch for is whether the team lets its guard down when they shouldn't.

We had a number of our local clan at the Washington game and, although they all came back without voices, they did have big smiles and great stories to tell. They were very fortunate that the clouds parted before gametime and it stayed dry (a rare event in Seattle) until they started partying back at the various Husker hotels in town. A good time had by all!

The Volleyball and Soccer teams are still rolling along and the baseball team's recruiting list ranks #15 nationally so look forward to good things next spring. I added a plug for the Mission Chamber Orchestra (conducted by our own Emily Ray) for those looking for something other than football tomorrow night. And look for the Husker Humor joke of the week at the end of the email. Lots of other good reading below...enjoy!

Go Big Red (White and Blue),Carl

Watch Parties:

This week's game against SoDak State will hopefully be the last PPV game of the season for the Huskers...and after the last PPV mess, we shouldn't have any problems with the subscription this time. Our three primary watch sites (Jack's in Fremont, Legends in Concord and Final-Final in San Francisco) will all be paying for the game, and we'll be passing the hat around to help defray the cost. If everyone chips in $10 we should more than adequately raise the necessary funds. Coverage starts at 4 p.m. Pacific Time, so if you want a good seat you should get there early and order up some great pub grub for dinner. Jack's has told me that they will have their famous Prime Ribs on the menu just for our hungry Husker beef eaters. See you there! For more info about our watch sites check out our website: www.BayAreaHuskers.org

Nebraska completes non-conference play on Saturday evening when the Huskers take on South Dakota State at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff time for Nebraska's Homecoming game is set for 4:08 p.m. (PDT), and the game will be televised on a pay-per-view basis by Fox Sports Net.

The Cornhuskers enter the contest on a high note, fresh off a 56-21 pounding of Washington in Seattle last Saturday afternoon. Nebraska rolled up 383 yards on the ground and produced its highest point total in a non-conference road game in 24 seasons. The victory allowed NU to move up to sixth in the Associated Press Poll and seventh in the USA Today Coaches poll this week. Against South Dakota State, Nebraska will be looking to finish non-conference play with an undefeated record for the first time since 2005, also the last time NU opened with victories in its first four games.

South Dakota State heads to Lincoln with an 0-2 record, following a 24-14 loss to Illinois State on Saturday night in Brookings. The Jackrabbits were ranked in the preseason top 10 in the Football Championship Subdivision, a year after reaching the FCS playoffs.

The Series

Saturday's game will mark the second meeting between the two schools. Nebraska defeated South Dakota State, 58-7 in 1963 in the only previous meeting between the schools. The game will mark Nebraska's first meeting with an FCS foe since taking on Nicholls State in 2006.

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NO. 8 HUSKERS SPRINT PAST HUSKIES...

Seattle - It wasn't quite perfect, but it was impressive. No. 8 Nebraska jumped to a 14-0 lead after just five offensive plays, then scored two more touchdowns on the Huskers' first five offensive plays of the second half on the way to a 56-21 victory at Washington on Saturday.

With the victory, Nebraska improved to 3-0 for the second time in three seasons under head coach Bo Pelini, while Washington slipped to 1-2 in front of a crowd of 72,876 and an ABC/ESPN2 national television audience.

"Coming into a hostile environment, I thought it was a good step for our football team," Pelini said. "I thought it'd be a nice test for us, going against a good football team on the road. It's a tough environment to play in and I thought our guys handled it well. I thought it was a pretty full effort by our football team. I liked their approach. Like I just told them, there's still a lot more out there for us, there's still a lot for us to clean up. We have a long way to go as a football team but this was a good step along the way."

Nebraska rolled up 533 yards of total offense, including 383 on the ground. The Husker trio of Taylor Martinez (137 yards, 3 TD, 19 carries), Roy Helu Jr. (110 yards, 2 TD, 10 carries) and Rex Burkhead (104 yards, TD, 13 carries) combined for Nebraska's fourth triple-100-yard game in school history, and the first since the Baylor game in 2001.

Martinez and Helu Jr. each went over the 100-yard mark for the second straight game. Martinez became just the second quarterback in NU history to record three straight 100-yard rushing performances, joining Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch. Martinez also moved ahead of Tommie Frazier into the No. 8 spot on NU's all-time freshman season rushing list with 421 yards through just three games. Martinez's eight rushing touchdowns already rank fourth all-time among all Husker freshmen.

The Huskers continued to show their quick-strike capabilities, covering 48 yards on just two plays on their opening drive, capped by a 24-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Martinez to Mike McNeill. For the day, Martinez completed 7-of-11 passes for 150 yards, including his first career TD pass to McNeill.

On NU's second drive, it took the Huskers just three plays to cover 73 yards, after a 55-yard pass play from Martinez to Brandon Kinnie carried Nebraska to the goal line. It was the first of five receptions for 105 yards on the day for Kinnie, who registered the first 100-yard receiving day of his career.

Martinez hit paydirt on a quarterback dive on the next play to make it 14-0 less than two minutes into the game.

Senior Eric Hagg earned Nebraska’s first Big 12 player-of-the-week award of the season on Monday, while quarterback Taylor Martinez was named the Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week.

Hagg was selected as the league’s defensive player of the week following Nebraska’s impressive 56-21 road win at Washington last Saturday. Hagg intercepted Jake Locker’s first pass of the day and returned it 11 yards to set up Nebraska’s first touchdown. He finished with one tackle and a pair of pass breakups as the Huskers held Washington to only 71 yards passing. Locker, regarded as a potential top-10 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, completed just 4-of-20 passes on the day.

While Hagg highlighted the Husker defense in the win at Washington, Martinez led the NU offense to its highest point total in a non-conference road game since 1986. He posted his third straight 100-yard rushing game, carrying the ball 19 times for 137 yards and three touchdowns. Martinez also completed 7-of-11 passes for 150 yards, while throwing his first career touchdown pass to open the scoring. Rivals.com not only selected Martinez as its Freshman of the Week, but also tabbed him as its Big 12 Player of the Week.

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HUSKERS AWARDED BLACKSHIRTS, FOCUS ON DETAILS FOR JACKRABBITS...

Lincoln- The Nebraska football team practiced for just less than two hours Thursday inside the Hawks Championship Center and on the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields as the Huskers finish up preparations for South Dakota State on Saturday. After practice, Head Coach Bo Pelini addressed the media and announced that 12 Blackshirts were awarded to Nebraska's first- string defenders.

"It is a tradition and it is one that I believe in," Pelini said. "You pick the time that you think is right."

Pelini commented that he has been pleased with the attention by the players and the tempo throughout this week of practice.

"It was good," Pelini said. "I thought the attention to detail was pretty good. We still have a few things to clean up, but I thought it was a good practice."

Pelini has seen good things out of senior safety Ricky Thenarse. After sitting out last year due to injury, Thenarse has played a key role in NU's secondary so far in 2010, and was among the defenders sporting black on Thursday.

"I think he has played well," Pelini said. "I think he still has to work on some consistency at times. He has to make sure he doesn't have any mental lapses. I think he has come a long way. Having sat out the whole year last year and came back, I think he has come back strong and I think he is playing some good football but I think the best is still ahead of him."

Pelini also noted the improved blocking by Nebraska's wide receiver corps, highlighted by the recent efforts of Brandon Kinnie.

"I think they're doing well," Pelini said. "Big plays in the run game don't happen if you're not blocking down the field. You look at Roy's touchdown the other day, BK (Brandon Kinnie) did a heck of a job on the corner and helped spring Roy. A lot of that is about effort. Obviously technique plays a part of it, but getting down, not being lazy and making sure you find people down the field. They've done a good job of it."

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JACOBSON, DUTTON, AND SCHLEUSENER: HUSKERS VERSION OF MOUNT RUSHMORE...

Randy York's N-Sider

With South Dakota State visiting Lincoln this weekend for the Huskers' Homecoming, it's time for a history lesson and a friendly reminder that the state of South Dakota is woven into the fabric of Nebraska's storied football program in two significant ways.

First, the University of South Dakota was Nebraska's first opponent when Bob Devaney became NU's head coach in 1962. The Huskers beat South Dakota, 53-0, and followed that with a 25-13 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor, setting the stage for perhaps the greatest run in college football over the last half century.

Secondly, Devaney and his hand-picked successor, Tom Osborne, recruited three South Dakota natives who rank among the Huskers' best linemen ever and therefore could be considered the Cornhuskers' version of Mount Rushmore.

The three Nebraska names that would be chiseled into that metaphorical South Dakota monument would be:

Jacobson was back on Memorial Stadium's turf two weekends ago, waving to the crowd and being recognized as the first of seven Huskers to win eight Outland Trophies. He was also in the locker room and on the Husker sideline that day as one of Bo Pelini's "guest coaches" for the Idaho game.

If anyone had asked, Jacobson would have described one of Nebraska's most bizarre recruiting stories because he ended up right in the middle of it.

Two Signed Letters and One Final Choice

In the 1960s, recruits could sign more than one letter of intent, as long as they weren't in the same conference. So, Jacobson, an all-stater in both football and basketball, signed a Big Eight letter of intent with Nebraska as well as a Big Ten letter of intent with Iowa.

With three days remaining before the deadline for a final decision, Jacobson informed Iowa that he had decided to sign his national letter with Nebraska. A Hawkeye assistant was immediately dispatched to Sioux Falls to persuade him to change his mind, prompting Devaney to send then graduate assistant Monte Kiffin to protect NU's interests at the 11th hour.

"Basically, I spent the last two days with Coach Kiffin before signing," Jacobson said, laughing. "Coach Devaney told Coach Kiffin to make sure I signed with the right school, so Monte literally wouldn't let me out of his sight."

Things got a little wacky. The frustrated Iowa assistant parked in front of Jacobson's house for an hour before leaving, then returning.

"While I talked to the Iowa coach to let him know that I meant what I said, Coach Kiffin was in the back yard playing croquet with my sisters," Jacobson related. "The first thing Monte asked me when he came back inside was: 'You didn't change your mind, did you?'"

Today, Jacobson is a retired stockbroker and lives on a lake in South Bend, Neb.

Like Jacobson, Dutton was a combination star in South Dakota, leading Rapid City Central High School to the state basketball championship as a senior. Although he received more scholarship offers for basketball than football, he became a Husker and used the opportunity to become a Pro Bowler for three straight years among the five he spent with the Baltimore Colts.

A contract dispute forced the Colts to trade Dutton to the Dallas Cowboys in 1980. He played nine years for the Cowboys, helping them to three consecutive NFC championship games at one point. After 14 NFL seasons and 185 games, Dutton retired in 1987.

Game of the Century Reunion Was Nostalgic

Two years ago, Dutton traveled to Oklahoma to meet players who had gathered in Norman for the first combined 1971 Game of the Century reunion. "That was probably the most nostalgic get-together I've ever experienced," Dutton said. "I played a lot longer in the NFL, but nothing was more fun, or more meaningful, than the years I spent at Nebraska."

Schleusener carved his niche in Husker folklore with a litany of individual achievements and being part of one of Nebraska's most famous plays ever, even though it occurred in a 17-14 loss at Oklahoma after the Huskers went 10-0 to start the 1979 season.

In that game, Nebraska Quarterback Jeff Quinn placed the ball that was snapped to him on the ground, directly under center Kelly Saalfeld. Schleusener, a guard, scooped it up and ran 15 yards to score, pulling Nebraska within 17-14 with 4:43 remaining.

Despite the loss, Schleusener became a national celebrity of sorts because TV stations across the country kept replaying the trick play - called the "Fumbleroosky" - that night and most of the following week.

Schleusener was an NCAA Top Eight Award Winner - the highest academic honor a student-athlete can receive. A two-time CoSIDA first-team academic All-American, Schleusener also earned a National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame Postgraduate Award, an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and induction into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.

Today, Schleusener is president of the Black Hills Orthopedic and Spine Center in his hometown of Rapid City.

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HUSKERS IN THE NFL - WEEK 2...

A total of 23 former Huskers saw action in Week 2 of the NFL season.

Running backs Brandon Jackson (Green Bay) and Correll Buckhalter (Denver) were the offensive highlights as each produced their first touchdowns of the 2010 season. Jackson started his first game of the year in the Packers 34-7 win over Buffalo, scoring Green Bay's first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run in the first quarter. Buckhalter ran behind a Bronco offensive line that featured Russ Hochstein in Denver's 31-14 victory over Seattle, giving the Broncos an early 10-0 lead with his second quarter 1-yard touchdown run.

The Detroit Lions started three former Huskers, including center Dominic Raiola at center. Defensively, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Ndamukong Suh combined for 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks, although the Lions were edged at home by Stewart Bradley's Philadelphia Eagles, 35-32.

Cornerback Zackary Bowman (Chicago) had one of the biggest days among former Blackshirts, registering 10 tackles in the Bears' 27-20 win against Dallas, while Barrett Rudd's (Tampa Bay) nine-tackle performance helped the Bucs to a 20-7 victory over Carolina. Linebacker Chris Kelsay (Buffalo) had eight tackles against the Broncos in his 84th consecutive start.

Cornerback Fabian Washington (Baltimore) continued his return from an injury-plagued 2009 season to tally three pass break-ups for the Ravens, while teammate Sam Koch pinned 4-of-7 punts inside the 20-yard line in a three-point loss to Houston.

The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team (11-1, 3-0) will try to improve on its perfect 29-0 record over the Baylor Bears (7-6, 0-2) this weekend then the two teams meet in Waco, Texas, at the Ferrell Center. Set for 7 p.m. on Saturday night, the match will mark the first time this season that the Huskers have played a Big 12 South Division program.

The Huskers have posted 28 of their 29 wins over the Bears during the Big 12 era, with the two teams meeting one time out of conference on Sept. 22, 1995, when the Huskers won 3-0 (15-3, 15-6, 15-7).

Nebraska swept the first 12 contests in the series before Baylor took the first set on Nov. 17, 2001. Recently, the Huskers have swept the past two meetings.

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VOLLEYBALL: HUSKERS EXTEND STREAK OVER JAYHAWKS...

Lincoln - The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team extended its all-time winning streak over the Kansas Jayhawks to 85 straight matches on Wednesday night at the NU Coliseum with a 3-1 win (21-25, 25-13, 25-18, 25-18).

After Kansas took the first set of the night, the Huskers responded by taking the lead in set two and never let the Jayhawks take the lead the rest of the night.

Hannah Werth led four Husker attackers in double figures, as the sophomore notched her fourth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 11 digs, while also adding a career-best five blocks, including four solo stuffs.

Middle blockers Brooke Delano and Allison McNeal produced an efficient night as they each hit .500 with a combined 21 kills and seven blocks.

Overall Nebraska out-hit the Jayhawks .252 to .138, while Nebraska more than doubled Kansas five blocks with 13.

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VOLLEYBALL: HUSKERS BURY BUFFS...

Lincoln - The No. 4 Nebraska volleyball team made quick work of the Colorado Buffaloes in three sets on Saturday night during the Huskers' Big 12 in front of 4,113 fans at the NU Coliseum (25-13, 25-7, 25-17). The Huskers are now 11-0 in Big 12 home openers under Head Coach John Cook and 10-1 overall in 2010

The Huskers caused the Buffs fits all night as Nebraska clocked in with a .363 hitting percentage, while the Nebraska defense held Colorado to .086 hitting. Lauren Cook and Sydney Anderson combined for 37 assists on the night, as Lindsey Licht and Brooke Delano tied for the match high in kills at 11 apiece. Hannah Werth was dangerous nearly every time she touched the ball, as the sophomore put away eight kills on just 11 swings to hit .727.

Kayla Banwarth posted more than 20 digs in a match for the sixth time in 2010 with a match-high 23 digs. As a team, the Huskers totaled 58 digs on the night with all 11 players charting at least one dig on the score sheet.

Following a strong start to the season with a 7-2-0 non-conference record, the Nebraska soccer team moves on to Big 12 play by hosting a pair of tough opponents this week as Texas (6-1-1) and No. 6 Texas A&M (7-2-0) come to Lincoln. The Huskers will meet the Longhorns on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m., before taking on the Aggies on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Live radio broadcasts will be available for both matches by 90.3 KRNU (krnu.unl.edu) in addition to live stats on Huskers.com. Friday will be UNL Student Night, giving the first 200 students free pizza by showing their N-Card. Sunday will mark Lincoln Hometown Husker Day.

Nebraska's 7-2-0 record is its best nine-game start in nearly a decade, as the 2001 team began the season 8-1-0. The Huskers are ranked No. 10 in the NSCAA Central Region and receiving votes in the national top 25 after winning seven of their past eight matches, including wins over Indiana, Arizona and Iowa, while dropping only a road match at No. 25 Arizona State. The challenge will be high this week as the Longhorns are coming off a home upset of No. 10 BYU and are ranked No. 18 by Soccer Times and No. 21 by Soccer America. The Aggies advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 last year and returned 11 starters. Texas A&M's only two losses of the season have come to No. 1 North Carolina and No. 3 Portland. Last season's match-ups against the Big 12 South foes were two of Nebraska's tightest and most exciting games of the season. The Huskers lost a 2-1 nail-biter in Austin by giving up a Texas goal in the 83rd minute, but rebounded two days later to knock off No. 14 Texas A&M in Lincoln, 2-1.

Lincoln - Sophomore Jordan Jackson scored two goals to guide Nebraska (7-2-0) to its seventh win in the past eight matches and finish the non-conference slate on a strong note with a 3-1 victory over Iowa (7-2-0) on Sunday afternoon at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The Huskers' 7-2-0 record marks the best nine-game start by NU in nearly a decade, as the 2001 squad began the year 8-1-0. The non-conference finale victory also stopped the Hawkeyes' seven-game winning streak and pushes Nebraska into Big 12 play, which begins this Friday against Texas.

Jackson scored her fourth and fifth goals of the season Sunday afternoon, accounting for the game-winner in the 65th minute off a corner kick from Blair Slapper. The junior sent a perfect ball over the Hawkeye defense to the far post and Jackson elevated to head in her second goal of the match. The aggressive header bounced in front of the goal line and was just out of the reach of Iowa goalkeeper Emily Moran as it went upward to catch the bottom of the cross bar.

Nebraska's incoming baseball recruiting class has been ranked No. 15 nationally by Collegiate Baseball in its annual rankings released Tuesday. The rating marks the second straight year the publication has tabbed the Husker recruiting class in the top 15.

The Husker recruiting class is highlighted with talent on the mound, including two pitchers who were drafted in the first 11 rounds of the 2010 MLB Draft.

In-state product Logan Ehlers of Nebraska City will begin his collegiate career this spring after claiming back-to-back state Gatorade Player of the Year honors. At 6-2 and 200 pounds, Ehlers was drafted in the eighth round by the Toronto Blue Jays. The left-hander finished his prep career with a 8-2 record with a 0.27 earned-run average in 2010 while striking out 186 batters. As a junior, Ehlers was a perfect 10-0 on the mound with a 0.20 earned-run average, as he fanned 161 hitters and allowed only nine hits.

Right-handed pitcher Jon Keller, an 11th-round pick by the Seattle Mariners, compiled a 6-2 record with a 1.75 earned-run average as a senior at Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Keller struck out 93 hitters in 56 innings and was named the captain of Iowa's Class 4A all-state team. A threat at the plate as well, Keller was his team's cleanup batter and batted a team-best .473 with six home runs and 37 RBIs.

A native of Gunter, Texas, right-hander Brandon Pierce was one of the top pitchers in the Lone Star State at Gunter High School before the Pittsburgh Pirates selected the hurler in the 26th round. Pierce was 39-4 as a starter in his career and struck out 267 hitters with a 1.50 earned-run average over his final two seasons. A two-time first-team all-state selection, Pierce also hit .475 at the plate as a senior with 13 home runs.

Nebraska's 15th-ranked recruiting class trailed only Texas among the Big 12 schools, as the Longhorns were 13th.

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SOFTBALL: HUSKERS HOST WAYNE STATE FRIDAY...

The Nebraska softball team continues its fall exhibition season on Friday, when the Huskers welcome the Wayne State Wildcats to Bowlin Stadium for a doubleheader beginning at 6 p.m. Admission is free to both games.

Nebraska, which also held an informal two-game scrimmage with UNO last week, has high hopes for the upcoming 2011 season. The Huskers return nine starters and all but two letterwinners from last year's squad, which made the program's 15th trip to the NCAA Tournament in the past 16 seasons. The returning experience will be bolstered by some talented newcomers, including a pair of junior college All-Americans in right-hander pitcher Haley Workman and infielder Saige Wright and freshman catcher Taylor Edwards, a first-team high school All-American who was named the nation's top junior in 2009.

Fans unable to attend the free doubleheader can follow all of the action on Huskers.com via live stats. Following the Wayne State doubleheader, Nebraska hits the road for the only time this fall on Sunday, when the Huskers travel to Omaha for a doubleheader with Creighton.

Nebraska concludes its fall season on Saturday, Oct. 2 with an exciting day at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers will play a pair of games against a collection of all-stars from the National ProFastpitch league, including an expected appearance by Olympian Cat Osterman. In between games, Nebraska will officially retire the No. 42 jersey worn by Peaches James during her All-American career.

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MISSION CHAMBER ORCHESTRA SEASON OPENER...

When times are hard, music is a treasure. We are pleased to bring you another season of great music to enrich your soul - and a bonus.

Our 15th anniversary season - which we've named Our Passion! - opens on Saturday, Sept. 25. Concert time is 7:30 p.m., at Le Petit Trianon, 72 N. Fifth St., San Jose. As usual, parking is plentiful and free across the street, and as usual, refreshments are free, courtesy of Eulipia Restaurant. After the concert, stick around for "Just Between Us," an up-close conversation with Emily Ray and the performers.

We've titled the program "Mozart's Passion," because it ends with Symphony No. 40 in G minor, a work in which refined Classical elegance gives way to emerging Romantic passion. For a loving salute to California communities, Nancy Bloomer Deussen has written Central Coast Concerto for piano and orchestra, and we'll perform its world premiere.

The concert opens with Britten's Simple Symphony, which evolved from the exuberance of youth - first as a piano work (Britten at nine) to an orchestral piece (around 12) to a revised symphonic work (around 23). Also on the program is Andante for Winds by Taneyev, who worked in the period of Russian romanticism and was a lifelong friend of Tchaikovsky. Henry Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 has sold more than a million copies, more than any other recording of a 20th century work since its release in 1992. We'll play his Concerto for Harpsichord (or Piano) and String Orchestra from around 1990.

A first grade teacher in Austin, TX explains to her class that she is a Longhorn fan. She asks her students to raise their hands if they, too, are Longhorn fans. Everyone in the class raises their hand except one little girl...

The teacher looks at the girl with surprise and says, "Janie, why didn't you raise your hand?"

"Because I'm not a Longhorn fan," she replied.

The teacher, still shocked, asked, "Well, if you are not a Longhorn fan, then who are you a fan of?"

"I am a Husker fan," Janie replied.

The teacher could not believe her ears. "Janie, WHY are you a Husker fan?"

"Because my Mom is a Husker fan, my Dad is a Husker fan, so I am a Husker fan; and we all bleed Husker Red!"

"Well" said the teacher, in an obviously annoyed tone, "that is no reason for you to be a Husker fan. You don't have to be just like your parents all the time. What if your Mom was a snotty arrogant jackass and your Dad was a snotty arrogant jackass, what would you be then?"